NBA
Miami Heat Reportedly Have Made Goran Dragic Available
The Miami Heat have had a somewhat quiet offseason. They’re still waiting to see if the best player in their franchise’s history, Dwyane Wade, will return for another season. Now, it seems like Goran Dragic, who’s their starting point guard, possibly could be on the way out.
According to John Gambadoro of ArizonaSports.com, the Heat have reportedly made Dragic available for the right price, which isn’t surprising. The contracts the Heat have given to Hassan Whiteside, Tyler Johnson, James Johnson, and Kelly Olynyk have hurt their flexibility. So trading Dragic does make sense because as constructed, they aren’t a team that’s built to contend right now.
Dragic Could Be Traded Again To A Familiar Destination
With the report of the Heat making Dragic available at the right price, a familiar team just might be interested in bringing him back into the fold. The Phoenix Suns, who sent Brandon Knight to the Houston Rockets last week, need a starting point guard. Dragic will be a good addition for them. He spent six seasons with them and when they traded him in 2015 to the Heat, he took a shot at them.
“It feels like they’re always changing something,” Dragic told Yahoo Sports. “They’re not like Miami, San Antonio, those teams that are really loyal when they find something.”
It’s unclear if Dragic’s tone about the Suns has changed since then. After the Heat acquired him from the Suns in 2015, they gave him a contact extension. The extension was for five-years, $85 million. He has two years left on his deal. He also has a player option for the 2019-20 season. The Heat would gladly move him to acquire a first round pick, which is what they’re pursuing.
He’s 32 years of age and he still has a another 2-3 years of good basketball left in him. Last season for the Heat, Dragic played in 75 games. He averaged 17.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game. He also shot 45% from the field and 37% from three point range.
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Caitlin Jones via Flickr
Follow Allan Wright on Twitter: @AWrightTSJ
